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Gianluigi Buffon Explains Decision To Join PSG

Gianluigi Buffon and his new club Paris Saint Germain deny that winning the Champions League has become an obsession for the two of them.

At the end of last season, all signs pointed towards Gianluigi Buffon's time on a soccer pitch being over. His beloved Juventus, who he has been the first team goalkeeper for seventeen years, won Serie A but once again failed to win the Champions League. Meanwhile, Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958 and a forlorn Buffon walked off the pitch of their last qualifier with tears in his eyes.

Since then Buffon has started a new chapter in his career. The 40-year-old has signed a deal with Paris Saint Germain and is set to continue despite his age. It makes sense too. Goalkeepers can typically play longer than most outfield players with many of the better shot stoppers going on into their forties. Buffon is not only better, he may very well be one of the best.

Some fans have linked Buffon's move to him desperately trying to win the one trophy he has still not managed to get his hands on. Despite his success, he has never won the Champions League. PSG has also had trouble winning the biggest prize in European club football since the club started spending big money, but both parties have denied that they are obsessed with getting their hands on it.

As reported by Sky Sports, Buffon told the media on Monday that winning the Champions league is not "an obsession for me and neither for Paris Saint-Germain". Nevertheless, the shot-stopper has come so close recently. Juventus has made two of the last Champions League finals, losing to Barcelona in 2015 and Real Madrid two years later.

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If Buffon does desperately want to win a Champions League before he retires, he may be kicking himself right about now. Cristiano Ronaldo has just put pen to paper on a deal that will make him a Juventus player starting in the 2018/19 season. That may be the signing that finally pushes Juve over the finish line in the Champions League, and if so the side will be doing it without Buffon.